OTTAWA (CIS) – The Laval Rouge et Or top the Football
Reporters of Canada – CIS rankings for the seventh straight
week after receiving all first-place votes for the fourth time in
eight polls this season.

Laval, which occupies the No. 1 spot for the 54th time in 58
national polls dating back to the start of the 2005 campaign,
improved to 7-0 in conference play and remained the lone undefeated
team in the country last Sunday thanks to a dominating 62-0 home
victory over the Bishop's Gaiters (5-2), who drop four spots to No.
9 in the Top 10 following the lopsided result.

The Rouge et Or defence, which has allowed a CIS-low 51 points
in seven outings this fall (7.3 ppg), held the visitors to 51 yards
of total offence including minus 46 yards on the ground, as Laval
picked up its CIS-record 41st consecutive overall home win in front
of capacity crowd of 14,206 at PEPS Stadium.

The seven-time defending Quebec champions travel to Montreal on
Saturday to face McGill (0-7). Laval opened the season with a 50-9
defeat of the Redmen on Sept. 5.

The biggest news of the past week in CIS football came from
Saskatoon where Saskatchewan outscored Calgary 36-17 on Friday
night for its second win of the campaign over the defending Canada
West champions. The Huskies are up four positions in the Top 10
following their third straight victory and are now tied in the
CWUAA standings with the Dinos, who drop five spots to a season-low
seventh place.

Meanwhile, the No. 2 and No. 3 rankings are season highs for
Western and Regina.

The Rams, who are alone atop the Canada West standings for the
first time since 2001, were last ranked third or better that same
year, when they opened at No. 3 for two weeks before upgrading to
second place for three straight weeks (Sept. 10-24).

With the regular season coming to an end this weekend in Ontario
and next week in the three other conferences, this weekend's
schedule is filled with games with playoff implications highlighted
by No. 7 Calgary at No. 3 Regina on Friday evening.

No. 1 Laval (7-0): Top 10 ranking: No change...
Last week: 62-0 home win over then-No. 5 Bishop's (5-2)... This
week: Visit McGill (0-7) on Saturday (SSN Canada video webcast, 1
p.m.)... Heads-up: In their 12 overall meetings with McGill since
2003, the Rouge et Or are 12-0 (including a 50-9 win in their 2010
opener on Sept. 5), have outscored the Redmen 629-90 for an average
margin of victory of 54.1 to 7.5, have scored at least 41 points in
every contest and 50 points or more eight times, and have held
their rivals to 10 points or less 11 times (with the sole exception
a 43-27 win in 2006)... NOTE: Not included in those results is a
6-0 Laval win on a McGill forfeit in 2005...

No. 2 Western (6-1): Top 10 ranking: Up one
position... Last week: 76-0 win at York (0-7)... This week: Host
Toronto (3-4) on Saturday (Rogers TV Cable 13, 1 p.m.)... Heads-up:
Western is 25-0-1 in 26 regular season games versus Toronto since a
21-11 loss in 1983 (19-19 tie in 1995)... Since that conference
loss in '83, the Mustangs are 30-1-1 against the Varsity Blues with
their only loss a 24-16 setback in the 1993 Yates Cup final...

No. 3 Regina (5-1): Top 10 ranking: Up one
position... Last week: 41-19 win at Manitoba (1-5)... This week:
Host No. 7 Calgary (4-2) on Friday... Heads-up: The Rams are alone
atop the Canada West standings for the first time since 2001 when
they spent three weeks in first place by themselves from Sept. 8 to
Sept. 28...

No. 4 Saskatchewan (4-2): Top 10 ranking: Up
four positions... Last week: 36-17 home win over then-No. 2 Calgary
(4-2)... This week: Visit UBC (2-4) on Friday... Heads-up: The
Huskies, who dropped a 31-12 decision to UBC in Saskatoon on Sept.
10, have not lost twice in the same season to the Thunderbirds
since 1987 (51-17, 27-15 – both in conference play)...

No. 5 Ottawa (6-1): Top 10 ranking: Up one
position... Last week: Bye week... This week: Host Guelph (4-3) on
Saturday (The Score, 1 p.m.)... Heads-up: The Gee-Gees are 11-1
overall all-time versus Guelph - all since rejoining the OUA in
2001 - with their lone loss to the Gryphons a 20-19 setback in the
2003 regular season...

No. 6 Montreal (5-2): Top 10 ranking: Up one
position... Last week: 30-7 win at McGill (0-7)... This week: Host
Concordia (3-4) on Friday... Heads-up: Montreal beat Concordia 29-8
on Sept. 11 to improve to 6-8 overall against its cross-town rivals
since re-launching its football program in 2002...

No. 8 McMaster (6-2): Top 10 ranking: Up one
position... Last week: 40-21 win at Toronto (3-4)... This week: Bye
week... Heads-up: McMaster finishes third in OUA (can't move up or
down) and will host a conference quarter-final on Oct. 30...

No. 9 Bishop's (5-2): Top 10 ranking: Down four
positions... Last week: 62-0 loss at No. 1 Laval (7-0)... This
week: Host Sherbrooke (3-4) on Saturday (SRC, 1 p.m.)... Heads-up:
The Gaiters, who beat cross-town rival Sherbrooke 40-10 on Oct. 8,
are looking to win six games in a regular season for the first time
since they finished 6-1 in 1993...

No. 10 Saint Mary's (3-3): Top 10 ranking:
Unranked last week... Last week: 41-6 home win over StFX (1-5)...
This week: Host Mount Allison (3-3) on Saturday (haligonia.ca video
webcast, 2 p.m. Atlantic)... Heads-Up: Before losing 23-21 to Mount
Allison on Sept. 25, Saint Mary's had won 22 straight overall
against the Mounties dating back to a 36-3 conference loss on Oct.
24, 1998 (does not include an exhibition win in 2000)...

The Football Reporters of Canada – University Division
represents journalists and broadcasters in every region of the
country covering CIS Football. Since 1958 the Football Reporters of
Canada (FRC) have been an organization of media members who have
covered the Canadian Football League, serving to select the
league's outstanding players, coach-of-the-year and all-star teams
through voting conducted by its members. In 2009, the FRC
amalgamated with the University Football Reporters of Canada (UFRC)
to give the organization greater scope in its affiliation with
amateur and college football.

The FRC also works with the CFL and CIS to establish guidelines
and working conditions for the men and women who report on the
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Hall of Fame.